Denis Smith is 70 tomorrow, and to celebrate the milestone we asked the great defender and leader to pick his Stoke City Dream Team from the players he once played with. He’s gone for a 4-3-3 formation in line with team-of-the-moment Manchester City - and reckons this lot would give the Premier League leaders a run for their money too.

GORDON BANKS

Everybody who knows me knows there’s only one goalkeeper for me. He once said to me if I have to dive I’m in the wrong place.

As a player he was a dream to play with.

I would think not only was he Stoke’s greatest goalkeeper, but possibly one of the greatest ever in the world. I’m putting him in the top four or five goalkeepers easy.

He was an absolute genius at making the job look easy, but he wasn’t always pleasant if you made a mistake in front of him. You don’t become that good if you’re nice all the time.

If Gordon hadn’t had his accident we would have won more and we would have achieved even more than we did at that time.

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He’s the most one-footed player, very right footed, but his balance, his power, his pace. You name it, he could do it.

He could get up and down the field in good areas with good vision and pass at the right pace. If the ball was coming from Huddy, you know you could play it first time.

He glided across the top of mud. Everybody talks about his ability on the ball, but nobody talked about what a great athlete he was. He was so smooth running across the ground.

The kid was a hell of a good player, but I still get frustrated thinking he should have done more.

Alan Hudson in imperious form against Liverpool with a crammed Boothen End looking on

TERRY CONROY

I’m going with a front three if I’m going the Man City way and on the right I’ve got Terry Conroy.

Terry had two years where he was basically unplayable until his knees went. He could go past people both sides and, if you’re going at pace, that gives defenders problems, and then he could cross at pace.

He was a pain, too. If you’re socks were missing or your underpants had got something in them, you’d go `TC!’

He kept the dressing room bubbly. Him and John Mahoney were very much involved in those sort of things, but it was never malicious and was taken in good fun.

Stoke City legend Terry Conroy made his debut for the club in 1967.

GARTH CROOKS

On the left of the front three this could be a surprise because I looked at Harry Burrows, with his strength and his shooting, and Geoff Salmons who glided across.

But I’ve gone for another local lad in Garth Crooks. Now people would look at Crooksy as possibly just an out-and-out striker, but he could play and could play anywhere across that front three.

Crooksy was an outstanding young talent. He went down to London with Tottenham and did well, but possibly should have done more and got more involved in the media side of things instead of concentrating on his football.

He could have had more England caps, but the lad could play. He had a super first touch, he got pace, he got goals in him, he could head the ball. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do.

Garth Crooks lobs home against Blackburn at the Vic in 1978

JIMMY GREENHOFF

This last position gave me a major problem, but Jimmy was one of my favourite players, so how could I leave him out?

With this team we would keep the ball forever. He would be for the set-up play, but he could finish as well. The best volleyer of a ball I’ve ever seen and was good in the air. He’d got the lot.

Him and Huddy were telepathic and it was a joy to watch. He made it look as though I could pass the ball as well. I got it and knocked it forward and he’d be there, thanks very much.

You’d always have John Ritchie around the squad as well, but you can’t leave Jimmy out of any side.

I would think this side would be awesome to watch in terms of keeping the ball, moving the ball and scoring, They would be a joy to watch and that was a lot of what happened during my time at Stoke City.

We were an entertaining team, but had the resilience as well.

These players would make us look a bit like the way Man City are going at the moment.

Jimmy Greenhoff wheels away after scoring against Manchester City at the Vic in 1973 (Image: colorsport)